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On Sept. 20, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo announces that Level 2 social distancing measures will continue until Sept. 27. (Yonhap News)

The Level 2 social distancing measures introduced outside the Seoul Capital Area (SCA) to stem the spread of COVID-19 are to be extended until Sept. 27. While the country’s daily caseload has fallen below 100 for the first time in over a month, the upcoming Chuseok holiday has the potential to fan lingering embers of infection that can burst into another major outbreak.

On Sept. 20, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCHQ) announced that Level 2 social distancing guidelines set to expire that day were to be extended for another week for non-SCA regions in addition to Greater Seoul. In a briefing that day, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said, “In view of the percentage of cases where transmission routes are still under investigation and the percentage that are being managed within the disease prevention network [occurring among individuals placed in quarantine after being in contact with a previously diagnosed person], there is a strong likelihood of latent transmission risks continuing to exist within local communities.”

“Loosening distancing guidelines for the week ahead of the Chuseok special disease control period [Sept. 28 to Oct. 11] is more likely to increase confusion and the risk of the disease spreading than to bring any benefits,” he said. Based on this decision, bans will remain in place on face-to-face gatherings of 50 or more people in indoor settings and 100 or more people in outdoor settings and operations of 11 high-risk businesses, including nightclubs, karaoke rooms, and buffet restaurants.

According to figures tallied by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the number of new confirmed cases for Sept. 20 stood at 82 as of midnight, marking the first time in 38 days since Aug. 13 (56 cases) that the number was down to double digits. Over the two-week period from Sept. 6 to 19, the number of daily cases outside SCA averaged 29.7, or less than half the 66.7 average for the preceding two weeks. The scale suggests a relatively stable situation compared with the 91.3-person average for the SCA. But new infection clusters continue to pop up all around, while the proportion of patients with no identified transmission route has risen to an average of 27.4% for the period from Sept. 6 to 20.

With just a week left before the long Chuseok holiday, many have worried that a temporary relaxation of disease control measures could result in a renewed outbreak being “unleashed.” North Jeolla Province, Busan, Daegu, and other local governments announced that they were moving independently to extend Level 2 guidelines until Sept. 27. The period until Oct. 11 is considered a “special disease prevention period” for the Chuseok holiday.

“Chuseok will be a key watershed determining whether there’s a renewed outbreak in the autumn or whether we transition to Level 1 [distancing],” Park said.

“We’re planning to increase the social distancing guidelines slightly during this period, with details to be announced during this week,” he added.

Meanwhile, SCA public schools that had previously been conducting all classes remotely began their first in-person classes for the fall semester on Sept. 21. Because of an “intensified school density minimization rule” that remains in effect through Oct. 11, only one-third of all students (two-thirds for high schools) will be able to attend classes at one time, with attendance staggered by day or week. Third-year high school students, who were allowed to attend in-person classes during the full-scale remote education period because of their upcoming college entrance exams, are also to attend in-person and remote classes concurrently.

In schools outside SCA, the one-third rule remains in effect through Oct. 11 as well, although some schools will be allowed to loosen the requirement to two-thirds according to region. Gangwon Province (apart from Wonju), Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, and Jeju all plan to apply the two-thirds restriction based on discussions with the Ministry of Education (MOE). While the MOE has suggested alternative measures such as real-time roll calls at the beginning and end of each school day and more interactive classes where both students and teachers can speak on a platform, many fear that they will not be enough to counteract the negative effects of remote classes continuing for the long term. Authorities are expected to further discuss in-person classes after the Chuseok holiday.

By Choi Ha-yan and Choi Won-hyung, staff reporters

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